Possible Alternatives to SMF

Traffic must be accommodated within and around the Valley of the Sun, but the South Mountain Freeway on the Pecos alignment is not the way to do it effectively. Some viable alternatives are:

8-10 lane Loop 202 on the Gila River Indian Community (GRIC), with permission.

Light rail along Pecos Road but going through a small portion of the GRIC (with permission) rather than cutting through South Mountain.

8-10 lane Loop 202 following Baseline Road from 51st Ave to I-10.

8-10 lane Loop 202 from I-10 near Avondale going along the west side of the Estrella Mountains and then cutting between the Estrella and Maricopa Mountains, following the southern boundary of the GRIC to the I-10 north of Casa Grande.

8-10 lane freeway along State Route 85 from I-10 at Buckeye to I-8 at Gila Bend as a “real” truck by-pass.

8-10 lane freeway along State Route 85 from I-10 at Buckeye, cutting between the Estrella and Maricopa Mountains and across to I-10 north of Casa Grande as a “real” truck by-pass.

8-10 lane freeway along one of the routes described in 2, 3, or 4, and renumber it as the I-10 so all “through” traffic would take this route as a default.

Renumber the I-10 through Phoenix as I-810 or the like, making it obvious that it is for Phoenix traffic only.

There are surely other alternatives as well. Some alternatives may be effective if combined with others, such as 7 and 8. The key is that the current Regional Transportation Plan is outdated. It needs to be updated using a set of relevant criteria and a consistent, responsible process. ADOT and MAGmust be made accountable for their actions, making decisions that are supported by the communities involved. To continue wasting tax dollars by basing decisions on an outdated regional transportation concept is completely irresponsible and must be stopped!